The National tribune., 1887-01-13
JOHN MORGAN'S RAID.
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Continued from 1st pagel
him peremptorily to return. By the time
the pretended surrender was completed night
had set in and we were all ordered into camp
at Cheshire, and we marched back to the
village as drenching rain and thunder storm
was prevailing, in darkness that prevented
Us from forming any idea of who or what We
had captured. The prisoners were driven
into a small wheatfield, and those not on
guard sought shelter wherever they were
able to find it in the village.
When morning dawned on the 21st and
we took an account of stock, we found that
we had about 1000 prisoners and horses, but
the leaders OF the great raid were not among
them. About 2 800 prisoners had fallen into
our hands in the last two days; about five or
six hundred were yet to be overtaken, for
whose capture Shackelford and Wolford still
possessed sufficient zeal
TO RENEW THE CHASE.
/ confessed to having quite enough of such
warfare, and, as numbers had ceased to be
necessary, / was placed in charge of the troops
left with the prisoners and captured prop
erty. 1t was not until the 9th that Gen.
Shackelford was able to announce to the
country:
By the help of Almighty God I have
captured John Morgan"
How long the chase would have lasted
but for divine assistance, it would be difficult
to say. MOrgan's entire force was not cap
tured. Under date of July 81, 1863, the
Richmond Enquirer published an account of
the Morgan raid. 1t was signed IS. 2. Cum
ningham, A. A. A. Gen., Morgan's Cavalry
Division" from which it appears that two
companies had succeeded in crossing the
| river when the rout began. Later he states
they made another attempt to cross at Belle
| vile, and succeeded in crossing $50 before
the gunboat stopped them. The force with
which Morgan began his raid no doubt ex-
ceeded 1000 men, of which 500 probably
| by various means and routes succeeded in
getting back to the Confederacy, and about
! $500 fell into our hands.
The heroes who laid claim to having
achieved the capture of Morgan exceeded
MOrgan's forces many times. Lieut.. Leroy
| Fitch, who had charge of the gunboats,
hastened to the nearest telegraph station and
in dispatch to his Department, that was
given to the country, stated:
Il have followed John Morgan 500 miles,
and routed him this morning at Burlington
Island"
A correspondent with Judah's command
gives some credit to the gunboats, but knew
nothing about Hobson's force in the detailed
account of Judah's operations, which he
| characterized as "Napoleon-like." The
number of independent commands operating
under special and general instructions
emanating from Gen. Burnside and the Gov
ernor of the State and their subordinate
commanders can hardly be enumerated, and
in the subsequent reports of their work
they seldom failed to show how wisely their
'superiors had ordered in sending them to
this or that point to do the work that was
so admirably accomplished by their
PATRIOTIC VOLUNTEERS AND MILITIA.
In all this list of distinguished service
there is no record of an organized attack on
Morgan by militia or temporary volunteers;
in every instance they contented themselves
with, resisting an attack, in some instances
unwisely, because unavailing, which would
have been manifest to an experienced sol
dier from the first. Some good work was
done in obstructing roads and taking up
bridges, and in judicious display of force,
that turned the enemy in his course and
saved important places from plumber and
pillage and valuable public structures from
destruction. Considering the popular effort
as whole, the work accomplished was emf
nently patriotic and commendable, and the
devotion Of the women in supplying food and
Refreshments to the jaded pursuers was
stimulating and cheering in the highest de-
! gree to our men and ereditable in an equal
degree to the hearts of our eountry-wOmen
and forms the most grateful recollection Oi
that long and weary pursuit.
The only forces that Morgan really dreaded
were the regular troops, the principal being
those that took up the chase in Kentucky
and which followed him to the end, and but
for which he would undoubtedly have beer
able to return to the Confederate lines. Al
Burlington Island he had Judah and the
gunboats in full view, and was prepared Il
give them battle. The latter he knew BY
experience would not trouble him as long a:
he could command the river with his gun:
on the bank, and the former he could see
was not strong enough to cope with him IL
an open field such as was before him. Bu
when Sanderss guns opened from the woods
they impressed his whole command with tn,
belief that Hobson's entire force was con
cealed in the timber, and without stopping
to find out, they
TOOK 1T FOR GRANTED AND FLED.
Morgan was in no condition to fight; tn,
robbing and plundering had demoralized hi
men they were loaded down with then
loot they had laid aside the character o
soldiers fighting for cause and become rob
bers and highwaymen, dreading the people
whose indignation their crimes had excited
and the long period in the saddle withou
an opportunity to replace the ammunition
worn out by attrition in the cartridge boxes
took away the essential means to insure
J stand. Had he been able to control his men
Morgan could soon have ascertained tina
Hobson was still many miles in rear, 70
when he was passing through Chester b
heard the first guns that were fired by San
ders. With third of his force he coult
have held Judah and the gunboats in checl
and crossed the other tw0-thirds to the Viz
, ginia shore, and that much of his eommanl
would have escaped.
The battle of Burlington, as this event ha
/. been ehristened on account of its occurrene
so near the island of that name, is remarka
BILE in several respects. 1t is the creates
battle on Ohio soil that the history of tn
! State can furnish. 1t is the only battle Q
\ the rebellion fought in the State, and n
battle of that war was more complete in ii
results, for one force captured the othe
!: almost entire-and considering that abOu
! 10000 troops were participants, no such ds
: cisive result was accomplished with so littl
$ bloodshed during any other battle Of th
: : war, for doubt if half dozen men wer
9 killed on either side.
My command lest one man killed and on
o man wounded. The former was killed
s the nnIy miIitiaman or Homa Guard wit